Georgia High School Massacre: Family Defends 14-Year-Old Suspected Killer After FBI Missed Major Red Flags

The teenager possibly connected with the Georgia school shooting was interviewed last year by the FBI for online threats, but no arrest was made — and now the suspected shooter’s family has come to his defense.

On Sept. 4, four people were killed and nine others wounded after police believe 14-year-old Colt Gray opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, as Front Page Detectives previously reported.

The teen is accused of turning his assault-style rifle on students in a hallway at the school after classmates refused to open the door for him to return to his algebra classroom, classmate Lyela Sayarath told CBS News.

Gray left his second period algebra classroom earlier and one classmate figured the quiet student who recently transferred was going to skip school.

Sayarath said Gray later returned and wanted to get back into the classroom, but students who went to open the locked door started backing away.

"I'm guessing they saw something, but for some reason they didn't open the door," the classmate said, according to CBS News.

When Sayarath looked at Gray through a window in the door, he turned and she heard a barrage of gunshots. She said other students in the classroom hit the floor and crawled around, looking for a safe corner to hide.

Within minutes, two school resource officers reportedly encountered the shooter after hearing a report of shots being fired. The teen immediately surrendered and was taken into custody.

In May 2023, the FBI received anonymous tips about online threats to commit an unspecified school shooting, the agency said in a statement.

The agency determined the posts came from Georgia and FBI Atlanta referred the information to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office interviewed Gray, then 13 years old, and his father, who said there were hunting guns in the house, but the teen did not have unsupervised access to them. The teen denied making any online threats.

While the sheriff’s office alerted local schools for continued monitoring of the teen, they said there was no probable cause for an arrest or additional action.

According to Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey, the state Division of Family and Children’s Services also had previous contact with the teen and they will investigate whether that has any connection with the shooting.

Authorities said they are still looking into how Gray obtained the gun used in the shooting and how he got the weapon into the school.

Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.

Gray has been charged as an adult in the deaths of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and instructors Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53, GBI Director Hosey said.

In addition, nine other people — reportedly eight students and one teacher — were taken to hospitals with injuries. Authorities said all were expected to survive their injuries.

After authorities announced Gray would be charged as an adult, the teen’s aunt, Annie Polhamus Brown, took to Facebook to defend him, saying, “Just check yourself before you speak about a child that never asked to deal with the bull**** he saw on a daily basis.”

She added, “Y'all ready to see Polhamus blood in full throttle? Nah, I wouldn't either,” in the posts, which have now been deleted.

While the posts received backlash online, some commenters agreed with Polhamus Brown’s remarks. One apparent relative wrote that Colt “never asked for what he’s been through - I’m with you 1000000%. Prayers for EVERYONE affected.”

Another person noted, “I taught Colt and know first hand he dealt with so much!”

The teen is currently being held at the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, officials said.